Self-righting cup holder

ABSTRACT

A cup holder can easily be assembled by a user and attached to portable luggage, such as along a horizontal handle of the luggage. The cup holder can pivot to keep the beverage upright while allowing the user to keep both hands free from the need to carry the beverage. The cup holder can be unassembled into a flattened sheet configuration for easy storage or disposal. The cup holder can include hooked ends for securing to the luggage and a hanging, size adjustable beverage pocket for receiving the beverage container therein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to cup holders. More particularly, embodiments of the invention relate to a self-righting cup holder usable on portable luggage.

2. Description of Prior Art and Related Information

The following background information may present examples of specific aspects of the prior art (e.g., without limitation, approaches, facts, or common wisdom) that, while expected to be helpful to further educate the reader as to additional aspects of the prior art, is not to be construed as limiting the present invention, or any embodiments thereof, to anything stated or implied therein or inferred thereupon.

When traveling with portable luggage it can be difficult to hold/carry a cup of liquid, e.g., a drink, and not spill it due to not having one or both hands free because of the need to use one or both hands to handle/carry the luggage. A cup holder may be attached to a piece of luggage, however, if the luggage is tilted for movement on two wheels, for example, the beverage stored in the cup holder may tip or fall out. Further, conventional cup holders are rigid and need to be carried by the user and deployed for use and then later stored.

In view of the foregoing, there is a need for a device that, when attached to an item of portable luggage, is both capable of holding a cup of liquid without requiring the user to do so and also keeps the cup of liquid vertical irrespective of the attitude/position of the luggage as the user moves with the luggage.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention are drawn to a cup holder device that can hold a cup of liquid of varying sizes without the user's hands being necessary to hold the cup. The device can also keep the cup of liquid vertical, irrespective of the attitude/position of the portable luggage as the user moves with the luggage, thus preventing spillage, and without requiring additional input from the user.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a cup holder comprising a band having a first connector at a first end thereof and a second connector at a second end thereof, the first connector removably attachable to the second connector, the band forming a cup sling when the first connector is mated with the second connector; first and second vertical limbs extending from a top side of the band; first and second curved hook arms formed at ends of respective first and second vertical limbs, the first and second curved hook arms curving downward toward the top side of the band; first and second handle stabilizers extending from a distal end of respective first and second curved hook arms; and a handle stabilizer fastener formed at ends of each of the first and second handle stabilizers, the handle stabilizer fastener configured to removably attach to an upper portion of each of the first and second vertical limbs, thereby forming an enclosed opening formed by each of the first and second curved hook arms and the respective handle stabilizer through which a cup holder support bar may be disposed.

Embodiments of the present invention further provide a flattened sheet formable into a cup holder, comprising a band having a first connector at a first end thereof and a second connector at a second end thereof, the first connector removably attachable to the second connector, the band forming a cup sling when the first connector is mated with the second connector; first and second vertical limbs extending from a top side of the band; first and second curved hook arms formed at ends of respective first and second vertical limbs, the first and second curved hook arms curving downward toward the top side of the band; first and second handle stabilizers extending from a distal end of respective first and second curved hook arms; a handle stabilizer fastener formed at ends of each of the first and second handle stabilizers, the handle stabilizer fastener configured to removably attach to an upper portion of each of the first and second vertical limbs, thereby forming an enclosed opening formed by each of the first and second curved hook arms and the respective handle stabilizer through which a cup holder support bar may be disposed; a cross-bar stabilizer disposed between the first and second vertical limbs at a top end thereof; first fold lines formed between the first and second handle stabilizers and respective first and second curved hook arms; and second fold lines formed between ends of the cross-bar stabilizer and the vertical limbs.

In some embodiments, the first and second curved hook arms are formed in a C-shape.

In some embodiments, the first connector includes a tab and the second connector includes an insertion slot.

In some embodiments, a plurality of insertion slots is formed on the band to permit variable sizes of the cup sling when assembled.

In some embodiments, the tab is an arrow-head latch.

In some embodiments, alignment guides are disposed on the first and second vertical limbs, the alignment guides labeling an attachment region for the handle stabilizer fasteners on the first and second vertical limbs.

In some embodiments, the handle stabilizer fasteners include pop-out fixator flaps formed by cutting an arc shape into distal ends of the first and second handle stabilizer.

These and other features, aspects and advantages of the present invention will become better understood with reference to the following drawings, description and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Some embodiments of the present invention are illustrated as an example and are not limited by the figures of the accompanying drawings, in which like references may indicate similar elements.

FIG. 1 illustrates a perspective view of a cup holder in an assembled configuration, according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an interior view of the cup holder of FIG. 1, in a flattened, unassembled configuration; and

FIG. 3 illustrates an exterior view of the cup holder of FIG. 1, in a flattened, unassembled configuration.

Unless otherwise indicated illustrations in the figures are not necessarily drawn to scale.

The invention and its various embodiments can now be better understood by turning to the following detailed description wherein illustrated embodiments are described. It is to be expressly understood that the illustrated embodiments are set forth as examples and not by way of limitations on the invention as ultimately defined in the claims.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS AND BEST MODE OF INVENTION

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well as the singular forms, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “comprises” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one having ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will be further understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that is consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and the present disclosure and will not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

In describing the invention, it will be understood that a number of techniques and steps are disclosed. Each of these has individual benefit and each can also be used in conjunction with one or more, or in some cases all, of the other disclosed techniques. Accordingly, for the sake of clarity, this description will refrain from repeating every possible combination of the individual steps in an unnecessary fashion. Nevertheless, the specification and claims should be read with the understanding that such combinations are entirely within the scope of the invention and the claims.

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. It will be evident, however, to one skilled in the art that the present invention may be practiced without these specific details.

The present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the invention and is not intended to limit the invention to the specific embodiments illustrated by the figures or description below.

As is well known to those skilled in the art, many careful considerations and compromises typically must be made when designing for the optimal configuration of a commercial implementation of any device, and in particular, the embodiments of the present invention. A commercial implementation in accordance with the spirit and teachings of the present invention may be configured according to the needs of the particular application, whereby any aspect(s), feature(s), function(s), result(s), component(s), approach(es), or step(s) of the teachings related to any described embodiment of the present invention may be suitably omitted, included, adapted, mixed and matched, or improved and/or optimized by those skilled in the art, using their average skills and known techniques, to achieve the desired implementation that addresses the needs of the particular application.

Broadly, embodiments of the present invention provide a cup holder that can easily be assembled by a user and attached to portable luggage, such as along a horizontal handle of the luggage. The cup holder can pivot to keep the beverage upright while allowing the user to keep both hands free from the need to carry the beverage. The cup holder can be unassembled into a flattened sheet configuration for easy storage or disposal. The cup holder can include hooked ends for securing to the luggage and a hanging, size adjustable beverage pocket for receiving the beverage container therein.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 3, a cup holder 10 can include a cup sling 12 formed from a band 14 of flexible material that, when assembled as shown in FIG. 1, results in a constant diameter tubular opening or, more typically, a frustoconical shaped tubular opening. As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the band 14 can include a first attachment member 16 on one end thereof, and a second, mating attachment member 18 on the opposite end thereof. In some embodiments, as shown, the first attachment member 16 may be an arrow-head latch and the second attachment member 18 may be an insertion slot for receiving the arrow-head latch therein. Of course, other attachment mechanisms are contemplated according to the present invention, such as differently shaped tabs and slots, snaps, pins, hook and loop fastener, or the like. In some embodiments, a single insertion slot 18 (also referred to as the second attachment member 18) may be disposed on the band 14, while in other embodiments, multiple insertion slots 18 may be disposed at varying locations along the band 14, as shown by the dashed lines in FIG. 3. Multiple insertion slots 18 may permit adjustability of the inside diameter of the cup sling 12.

Vertical limbs 20 can extend from a top of the cup sling 12. Typically, the vertical limbs 20 can be positioned to extend from opposite sides of the cup sling 12 when the cup holder 10 is assembled as shown in FIG. 1.

The vertical limbs 20 can terminate by the formation of a curved hook arm 22 on each end thereof. The curved hook arms 22 can extend in opposite directions, away from a central axis 24 of the cup holder 10. In some embodiments, the curved hook arms 22 may be formed in a C shape, with the opening of the C shape pointing downward toward the band 14.

The curved hook arms 24 can include a handle stabilizer 26 extend from a distal end of the curved hook arms 24. The handle stabilizers 26 can include a pop-out fixator flap 28 near the ends thereof. The pop-out fixator flap 28 can be bent to engage the vertical limbs 20, as shown in FIG. 1, when the cup holder 10 is assembled. A first fold line 30 may be formed between the curved hook arms 24 and the handle stabilizers 26 to facilitate assembly of the cup holder 10. Of course, other attachment mechanisms may be used in place of the pop-out fixator flap 28, such as hook and loop fasteners, tabs and slots, or the like.

Alignment guidelines 36 may be provided on the vertical limbs 20. The alignment guidelines 36 can help a user attach the handle stabilizers 26 in the proper position along the vertical limbs 20.

An upper end of the vertical limbs 20, prior to forming the curved hook arms 24, may be interconnected with a cross-bar stabilizer 32. A second fold line 34 may be formed where the cross-bar stabilizer 32 meets the vertical limbs 20.

To use the cup holder 10, the second fold line 34 is folded and creased such that the vertical limbs 20 are at about 90 degrees/orthogonal to the cross-bar stabilizer 32. The cup sling 12 can then made functional by inserting the arrow-head latch 16 of cup sling band 14 into the insertion slot 18. The curved hook arms 22 can then hooked over the handlebar of the telescoping handle of an item of portable luggage (not shown), for example, and secured to the handlebar by folding the handle stabilizers 26 at the first fold line 30 and then affixing the handle stabilizers 26 to their respective vertical limbs 20 by hooking the pop-out fixator flaps 28 to their respective vertical limbs 20. The user may then place a cup of liquid into the cup sling 12 and proceed to walk while pulling the portable luggage using its telescoping handle. The liquid in the cup sling 12 can remain upright during all tilting/other movements of the portable luggage since the curved hook arms 22 of the cup holder 10 are able to freely rotate around the handlebar of the portable luggage's telescoping handle as the cup of liquid under the force of gravity seeks to remain upright.

The unfolded shape of the device is first drawn onto the surface of a material such as cardboard, card paper, paper board, plastic, or the like. The device is then cut or stamped from the material by following the guidelines that outline its shape. The choice of materials can vary, permitting the formation of sheets of disposable cup holders that may be useful, for example, in an airport or other travel facility, and may be disposed of after use. In other embodiments, plastic may be used to permit the user to unassembled the cup holder after use and easily store the flat sheet until needed again.

All the features disclosed in this specification, including any accompanying abstract and drawings, may be replaced by alternative features serving the same, equivalent or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise. Thus, unless expressly stated otherwise, each feature disclosed is one example only of a generic series of equivalent or similar features.

Claim elements and steps herein may have been numbered and/or lettered solely as an aid in readability and understanding. Any such numbering and lettering in itself is not intended to and should not be taken to indicate the ordering of elements and/or steps in the claims.

Many alterations and modifications may be made by those having ordinary skill in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it must be understood that the illustrated embodiments have been set forth only for the purposes of examples and that they should not be taken as limiting the invention as defined by the following claims. For example, notwithstanding the fact that the elements of a claim are set forth below in a certain combination, it must be expressly understood that the invention includes other combinations of fewer, more or different ones of the disclosed elements.

The words used in this specification to describe the invention and its various embodiments are to be understood not only in the sense of their commonly defined meanings, but to include by special definition in this specification the generic structure, material or acts of which they represent a single species.

The definitions of the words or elements of the following claims are, therefore, defined in this specification to not only include the combination of elements which are literally set forth. In this sense it is therefore contemplated that an equivalent substitution of two or more elements may be made for any one of the elements in the claims below or that a single element may be substituted for two or more elements in a claim. Although elements may be described above as acting in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, it is to be expressly understood that one or more elements from a claimed combination can in some cases be excised from the combination and that the claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variation of a subcombination.

Insubstantial changes from the claimed subject matter as viewed by a person with ordinary skill in the art, now known or later devised, are expressly contemplated as being equivalently within the scope of the claims. Therefore, obvious substitutions now or later known to one with ordinary skill in the art are defined to be within the scope of the defined elements.

The claims are thus to be understood to include what is specifically illustrated and described above, what is conceptually equivalent, what can be obviously substituted and also what incorporates the essential idea of the invention. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A cup holder comprising: a band having a first connector at a first end thereof and a second connector at a second end thereof, the first connector removably attachable to the second connector, the band forming a cup sling when the first connector is mated with the second connector; first and second vertical limbs extending from a top side of the band; first and second curved hook arms formed at ends of respective first and second vertical limbs, the first and second curved hook arms curving downward toward the top side of the band; first and second handle stabilizers extending from a distal end of respective first and second curved hook arms; and a handle stabilizer fastener formed at ends of each of the first and second handle stabilizers, the handle stabilizer fastener configured to removably attach to an upper portion of each of the first and second vertical limbs, thereby forming an enclosed opening formed by each of the first and second curved hook arms and the respective handle stabilizer through which a cup holder support bar may be disposed.
 2. The cup holder of claim 1, further comprising first fold lines formed between the first and second handle stabilizers and respective first and second curved hook arms.
 3. The cup holder of claim 1, further comprising a cross-bar stabilizer disposed between the first and second vertical limbs at a top end thereof.
 4. The cup holder of claim 3, further comprising second fold lines formed between ends of the cross-bar stabilizer and the vertical limbs.
 5. The cup holder of claim 1, wherein the first and second curved hook arms are formed in a C-shape.
 6. The cup holder of claim 1, wherein the first connector includes a tab and the second connector includes an insertion slot.
 7. The cup holder of claim 6, wherein a plurality of insertion slots is formed on the band to permit variable sizes of the cup sling when assembled.
 8. The cup holder of claim 6, wherein the tab is an arrow-head latch.
 9. The cup holder of claim 1, further comprising alignment guides disposed on the first and second vertical limbs, the alignment guides labeling an attachment region for the handle stabilizer fasteners on the first and second vertical limbs.
 10. The cup holder of claim 1, wherein the handle stabilizer fasteners include pop-out fixator flaps formed by cutting an arc shape into distal ends of the first and second handle stabilizer.
 11. A flattened sheet formable into a cup holder, comprising: a band having a first connector at a first end thereof and a second connector at a second end thereof, the first connector removably attachable to the second connector, the band forming a cup sling when the first connector is mated with the second connector; first and second vertical limbs extending from a top side of the band; first and second curved hook arms formed at ends of respective first and second vertical limbs, the first and second curved hook arms curving downward toward the top side of the band; first and second handle stabilizers extending from a distal end of respective first and second curved hook arms; a handle stabilizer fastener formed at ends of each of the first and second handle stabilizers, the handle stabilizer fastener configured to removably attach to an upper portion of each of the first and second vertical limbs, thereby forming an enclosed opening formed by each of the first and second curved hook arms and the respective handle stabilizer through which a cup holder support bar may be disposed; a cross-bar stabilizer disposed between the first and second vertical limbs at a top end thereof; first fold lines formed between the first and second handle stabilizers and respective first and second curved hook arms; and second fold lines formed between ends of the cross-bar stabilizer and the vertical limbs.
 12. The flattened sheet of claim 11, wherein the first and second curved hook arms are formed in a C-shape.
 13. The flattened sheet of claim 11, wherein the first connector includes a tab and the second connector includes an insertion slot.
 14. The flattened sheet of claim 13, wherein a plurality of insertion slots is formed on the band to permit variable sizes of the cup sling when assembled.
 15. The flattened sheet of claim 13, wherein the tab is an arrow-head latch.
 16. The flattened sheet of claim 11, further comprising alignment guides disposed on the first and second vertical limbs, the alignment guides labeling an attachment region for the handle stabilizer fasteners on the first and second vertical limbs.
 17. The flattened sheet of claim 11, wherein the handle stabilizer fasteners include pop-out fixator flaps formed by cutting an arc shape into distal ends of the first and second handle stabilizer. 